Billion to watch World Cup

ABOUT 1.3 billion people are expected to watch the 2003 cricket World Cup, tournament director Ali Bacher said yesterday.

Releasing details of fixtures for the 14-team event, Bacher, speaking in Durban, said the opening match would be between hosts South Africa and the West Indies in Cape Town on Feb 9, with the final in Johannesburg on March 23.

Bacher said that 800,000 spectators were expected to attend matches, while the event would be beamed to 300 million television screens worldwide, giving it a cumulative television audience of around 1.2 billion. He said: "There were a number of broadcasting constraints placed on us. At the 1999 Cricket World Cup, there were 42 matches played over 38 days; this one will be 54 games over 43 days."